Oklahoma State’s men’s tennis team will host Western Illinois on Sunday at 10 a.m. in the squad’s first home match of the season. Due to weather constraints, the match will be held indoors at the Greens Country Club in Edmond, Okla.

Oklahoma State (1-2) opened the season last weekend in Knoxville, Tenn., where the Cowboys defeated Tennessee Tech, but fell to No. 19 Tennessee and No. 71 East Tennessee State.

Western Illinois (1-2) defeated Chicago State last weekend for the team’s first win of the season. The Fighting Leathernecks also took on a tough opponent in No. 30 Notre Dame over the weekend, but fell 7-0. OSU and Western Illinois will face off for the first time in each program’s history.

There’s No Place Like Home

Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the Cowboys have compiled a 14-3 record in home openers. The 2013 squad will look to get back on the winning track after being defeated in the 2012 home opener by Liberty.

International Influx

The Cowboys recently added six new members to fill out the 2013 team, with five of those players originating from outside the country. Freshmen Jakob Sude (Friedrichshafen, Germany) and Oleksiy Arovin (Donetsk, Ukraine) join Richard Del Nunzio as the only members of the team without collegiate tennis experience.

Denys Pume (Odessa, Ukraine) most recently played at his native university in Ukraine, while Matt Campbell (Adelaide, Australia) and Vasilios Caripi (Johannesburg, South Africa) transferred from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

Finishing out the new Cowboy additions is Brady Bohrnstedt, who brings in two years of junior college experience from Collin College (TX), where he streaked through an undefeated doubles season in 2012.

Reversing a Trend

Oklahoma State, coming off a 7-14 year, will look to earn the team’s first winning season since 2009. The squad finished off its fall season with a combined individual singles record of 17-19, highlighted by Biktyakov’s championship run at the Larry Easley Memorial Classic. The Cowboys currently sit at 1-2.

All About the Cowboys

The Cowboys embark on their first season under new head coach Jay Udwadia, who replaced former coach James Wadley after a 40-year reign. Udwadia joins the Cowboys with a 145-76 career record during successful runs at Drake University and Fresno State.